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CONTACT: Nikki Fisher | Nikki.Fisher@OR.KidGovernor.org
Campaign to Elect the 2025 Oregon's Kid Governor Kicks-Off
The Oregon Secretary of State invites all Oregon 5th grade students and their teachers to participate in the campaign and election of the 2025 Oregon Kid Governor.
What is the Oregon Kid Governor program?
Oregon’s Kid Governor® (ORKG) is a statewide civics program for 5th graders managed by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. It is an affiliate of Kid Governor®, an award-winning civics program created by the Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC).
Timed to coincide with Election Day in November, ORKG offers each elementary school in Oregon the opportunity to enter one student candidate into a statewide election that other 5th graders vote in. Classes can nominate a classmate to run for office, vote in the election or both. Toolkits of in-class lessons guide teachers and students through the program to learn about civics, including how to vote, the Oregon Legislature, The Oregon Executive Branch, and the Oregon Supreme Court. The program is free and provides teachers with classroom toolkits to help guide their students through the curriculum.
ORKG candidates work with their classmates to create a campaign video outlining:
- Why they want to be Oregon Kid Governor
- Their leadership qualities and skills
- A community issue that they want to address and why it’s important
- A 3-point plan that will help 5th graders across Oregon make a difference on that issue
From the pool of nominees, a selection committee will choose the final 7 candidates and the Secretary of State’s Office will post the videos online. During Election Week, registered classes watch and analyze the campaign videos and vote for the platform and candidate they want to support. The candidate with the most votes statewide is then named Oregon Kid Governor.
The winning candidate serves a one-year term with all the benefits and responsibilities of being Kid Governor. These duties include sharing their issue statewide with constituents, writing posts for an official blog, meeting with students and adults across the state, and participating in events with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.
The current kid Governor is Zoya and her platform is focused on mental health awareness. Watch her campaign video here.
Past governors include:
Each Oregon school or homeschooler that chooses to participate will nominate one 5th grade student. Oregon's Kid Governors are elected by fellow 5th graders from across the state. During November 4-12th all participating 5th graders will view the finalists' campaign videos and will vote for their favorite nominee. The winner will be announced before December 1st.
During their one-year term, Oregon's Kid Governor will work with the Secretary of State's office on their campaign issue and will meet with Oregon leaders and legislators. In past years, we have had Kid Governors work on anti-bullying efforts, combating racism, and helping animals.
For more information or to register and access the lesson plans visit https://or.kidgovernor.org/.
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